Thanksgiving in Colorado

I'm always looking for an excuse to see Adelina and flights to Denver are so cheap, so I was already thinking about going out to Colorado for Thanksgiving. Then my mom mentioned that she and my dad had talked about going out to Isaac and Dominika's for Thanksgiving, and it was a done deal. They drove, but I flew. Micah got a ride there from Utah State and we all enjoyed a fabulous week together.

I got home from Chicago on Sunday, unpacked and then repacked, went to work Monday, left early from work, and flew to Colorado Monday afternoon.

Beautiful sunset from the runway!

My mom and Adelina came to pick me up from the airport, since my dad and Isaac were still working at the temple. Adelina was asleep at first then was wary in the car, but she warmed right up to me when we got home. I was so happy to see this sweet face! I'm not sure she was quite as excited to see me.

We had dinner when the boys got home, then hung out for a bit before bed. Adelina was so helpful, turning the space heater on and warming up my bed.

The next day was pretty chill. I'd say at least 50% of the time we spent there was spent just sitting around watching Adelina play and be cute. Fortunately, she does a lot of that so there was plenty to watch. It's cool to let toddlers play with razors, right?

The weather was so nice the first couple of days I was there. I went for a run in the morning then met up with my mom and Adelina for a walk.

 

I love these sweet grandparents. Adelina insisted that they both read to her so they took turns saying every other word. She was more enthralled watching them than actually looking at the book.

The scarf was also Adelina's idea. This little girl was in attention heaven - six adults with nothing to do other than watch and play with her! We met Glen Camblin and his family at Cafe Rio for dinner that night.

 

Tuesday night my mom, Isaac, and I stayed up talking, eating popcorn, and waiting for Micah to arrive. Somehow the three of us usually end up having a late-night talking session at least once per family trip. I really value their friendship and insight. I'm grateful to have family members who I love and admire, but who I also really respect. I tried to throw popcorn into Isaac's mouth but failed more than I succeeded.

Wednesday we did some shopping and a lot of food prep for Thanksgiving the next day, and of course plenty of Adelina-watching. It was fun to have Micah with us finally.

Nothing more beautiful than a freshly-opened jar of peanut butter.

I was still doing my 30 days of celebration for my birthday and I hadn't yet had any candles to blow out, so Dominika bought me a tres leches cake and Adelina helped me blow out candles.

 

Sweetest little wet baby ever. My mom and I sat and talked to her while she played. We got her to identify all her body parts and make all the animal sounds she knew.

The next day was Thanksgiving. As an early Christmas gift, I signed Isaac and I up for the Fort Collins Thanksgiving Day run. The weather had been beautiful all week and on Thanksgiving, it snowed and was below 20 degrees the whole day. We went anyway, though, and we had a good time. Isaac hadn't been running for a couple of months but somehow he was the one keeping me going when I wanted to quit.

I was so impressed at how many people actually still showed up for the run - especially the volunteers and supporters!

It was slow-going because of the crowd and the slushy pavement. I think it took us about fifteen minutes to get through the first mile.

Dominika and Adelina came to cheer us on at the finish line, but ironically missed seeing us by just a few seconds. We hurried home to warm up and eat a delicious breakfast, including cinnamon roll-stuffed baked apples. Somehow Adelina ended up in a cat costume...with pajamas over it, and we all visited and played games before getting into full-on Thanksgiving mode.

Our Thanksgiving spread. I'm so grateful to have parents who lead our family with faith and love and siblings who make me laugh. I love being a Shoaf!

Later that night, the pie came back out...all the regular utensils were still in the dishwasher, though, so we ate it with baby spoons.

Mom and Dad left to drive back on Thanksgiving night. I had originally planned to drive back with them, but I found a flight for super cheap and wanted to spend the extra day there with Micah and Isaac's family. Not to mention driving for 17 hours in the back seat didn't sound too fun. I was so glad I decided to stay. The next day Micah and I hung out and babysat while Isaac and Dominika ran some errands together. I put Adelina down for a nap which is one of my very favorite things to do. Holding and rocking this sweet baby brings so much peace and joy to my soul.

Dominika, Micah, and I finished it out with some shopping before they all drove me down to the airport for my flight out. It was a fabulous few days and I'm so thankful I was able to go!